'The secret is to have eight great players and four others who will cheer like crazy. '
Jerry Tarkanian
When I was in high school, my grades were pretty average. A few nineties in English, Law, Drama and Sociology. I usually pulled mid-eighties in Biology and Economics and then down to low seventies, and even a couple of mid-sixties in both Chemistry and Math. Like so many students who had plans to attend University, and who wasn't pulling all A's, I padded my 'education' resume with as many extracurricular activities as I could fit in.
I participated in model parliament, on the year book staff, in the photography club and in the choir. Due to the lack of male's auditioning, I also usually managed to get a decent part in the school musical. As for sports, the only sport I really played in high school was basketball. Hockey was my favorite sport, and I played in a local league, but I wasn't nearly good enough for the competitive world of high school hockey.
I also wasn't really that good at basketball, but I was tall, and was recruited (begged) by the teams coach, who was also my Economics teacher. I played almost solely during practice, during actual games, I was usually on the sidelines, one the four cheering like crazy for my teammates out on the court. One of my favorite teammates to cheer for was a guy named Justin. When I saw these images of David, I was struck by how much David reminded me of Justin.
Although I don't remember Justin with any one specific girlfriend, there were always girls around him. I think most closeted gay kids in high school have vivid memories of the straight guys who were caring and decent to them. Justin and I were not really close friends, he was a year older than I was, but when it came to basketball, he was like a best friend. He was so supportive of my 'attempts' and always said 'nice try man' when I missed a basket. He also had a beautiful smile, and he smiled.. a lot!
In addition to some 'secret' glances while we were in the locker room, my most vivid memory of Justin was the funny faces he'd make while running down the court. While I mostly sat cheering from the sidelines, Justin was always on the move. Almost every game, while I was sitting on the bench, he'd whiz by me on the court making some sort of weird or funny face as he ran by.
I'm sure Justin's funny faces were meant for everyone sitting on the sidelines, but I always sort of thought they were mostly aimed at me. We also had many great talks, especially after practice. At games, we usually car pooled, but practices were mostly held after school. Since practice had us missing the regular bus, and neither of us had a parent who could pick us up, we often ended up walking the 40 minutes back home together.
When photographer Jack Saul first sent his work with David, I was instantly struck by the images of David making faces and was reminded instantly of my time with Justin. Justin also always wore a chain around his neck, and always wore billowing boxers beneath his basketball shorts. I was a boxer brief kind of guy and I always used to joke about how his big grey boxers reminded me of old man underwear.
Jack was connected to David through agent who was looking to get David some work and a little more exposure. Just as I did was, Jack was initially drawn to David's face and smile. Jack was under the impression that this was David's first time posing fully nude, but despite this, David was very outgoing and although not an exhibitionist by any means, was very relaxed about the nudity during the shoot.
'I immeateatly noticed David's beaming smile and generally very expressive expressions. He was relaxed and easy to talk to and work with. I gave very loose directions such as standing, sitting, laying, etc but he was really a natural so I just focused on shooting and allowed him to improvise.'
No comments:
Post a Comment